Harpy / Tengu
Once upon a time, the Harpy and the Tengu were thought to be two different species of annoying, flying monster-bird. However, sometime within the last 1200 years or so, a "lucky" explorer learned that the two creatures were actually the same species of annoying, flying monster-bird when he/she came upon a large group of the two engaged in their annual mating ritual. That poor soul was never the same again. Appearance These "filth birds" (slang term used as the collective name for harpies and tengus) are roughly the size of the average Griffin and possess a bird-like body with long legs, a V-shaped feathered tail, and hand-like talons on their wings. The most disturbing part of their anatomy, however, is regarded to be the head and face, which looks disturbingly similar to a furless Pony, but with a tooth-filled beak in place of the nose and mouth. Tengus (the males of the species) have a long, thin, curved beak; a bright red face; a white-and-gray spikey 'fro crest; and a bright black-and-white body. Harpies (the females of the species) have a much shorter, thicker, hooked beak; long, greasy, dark "hair" or "mane"; and a dull brown-and-gray body. Most of the year, Harpies and Tengus live in single gender flocks separated by great distances of one another, meeting up only once a year to mate. It is commonly joked that the reason that the two genders of this species prefer to live on opposite ends of a continent is that they consider eachother to be nausiatingly ugly. Behavior "Filth Birds" are generally considered to be dirty, annoying pests, and they're thought of as more of a nuscience to everyone in the general vicinity than any sort of genuine threat. In addition to a very loud call (which has been describes as "a mix between a crow's caw, a parrot's screech, and claws on a chalkboard"), Harpies and Tengus are extreme omnivores and have been known to eat just about anything and everything, no matter what its condition of fresh-ness is. However, rather than working through honest means for their food, "Filth Birds" prefer to let other species do the hard work of harvesting, gathering, or killing and then swoop in to steal it from their hapless, unsuspecting victims when they least suspect it (rather like seagulls). Their incredibly efficent digestive systems (capable of breaking down vegetable, animal, and even mineral matter) also gives them a perpetual case of bad gas and "the Trots", making them unappetizing to most possible predators. History The only creatures capable of eating these flying pests on a regular basis are Hydras (which are already used to pungent odors) and full-grown Dragons (when asked about this, most dragons will respond "once you set them on fire and let all the filth and feathers burn away, they taste just like chicken"). Because of this, Harpies and Tengus have a natural fear of ANYTHING that even looks like a dragon. To take advantage of this fear, the residents of cities that once suffered infestations of filth-birds began to erect statues of dragon-like creatures (now known as Gargoyles) onto the sides of their buildings in order to scare away the flying pests. This strategy was a monumental success (Harpies are NOT 'clever girls', and Tengus aren't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed either). Today, the residents of the Outer Kingdoms restrict flocks of Harpies and Tengus to "Filth Birds Reseverses" to keep them from interfering with already dangerous travel routes. The people of the Outer Kingdoms regularly use these "Reserves" as dumping grounds for their collective waste, thus giving the "Filth Birds" incentive to not leave and annoy everyone else (as previously mentioned, they are lazy and they will eat ANYTHING). Vaporia's very existance keeps these creatures (as well as Stratodons, Piasa Birds, Perytons, Anemoi, and numerous other flying monsters) from migrating into the Celestine Empire. Category:Creatures Category:Flyers